A Los Angeles Times poll showed that most Californians support tribes and Indian gaming. But tribal leaders aren't taking their success for granted and worry about their public image.

Only about half of California's 107 federally recognized tribes operate casinos. And of the gaming tribes, only a handful generate the huge revenues many people associate with the industry.

Still, gaming has helped improve the lives of tribal members through improved housing, health care and other services. "Gaming has been so good to us that we regard the 150 years before the legalization of Indian gaming as B.C.: Before Casinos," a tribal spokesperson is quoted as saying.

The danger is that large campaign contributions, expansion of casinos and other high-profile actions will affect how people view tribes. "The one thing we cannot afford to let happen in Indian gaming is to allow the public to perceive us as greedy or ungrateful," former assistant secretary Kevin Gover tells The Los Angeles Times.

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Tribes Fear Backlash to Prosperity (The Los Angeles Times 5/3)
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Los Angeles Times Poll: Californians support gaming (4/26)